Protection
by RascalJoy
Summary: "What did you mean back there?" Wonder Woman demanded. Batman's eyes narrowed behind his cowl. "Mean by what?" "About Robin. What did you mean by 'so that he wouldn't?"


**Hello, everyone! Well...I'm not really sure what to say about this. Just a short little idea that popped into my head the first time I watched Performance. At least, I think this was in Performance... Anyway, I thought there should be a little expansion on that one little line...**

**Enjoy!**

**edit 5-2-14: Just found out the episode is Agendas. Thank you, TheImaginativeFox, for correcting me!**

**edit 5-24-14: Added the place and date. Looks more official that way, don't you think? :)**

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_The Watchtower  
__November 25, 10:58 EST_

The moment the voting was completed, Batman swept out of the meeting room, inwardly seething. He was used to others questioning his judgement. In fact, he'd come to expect it in both of his "uniforms." As Bruce Wayne, all of his decisions could affect millions of people, and he was used to hearing the opinions of others—even though he usually ended up ignoring them. As Batman, his decisions could affect the world, and he wasn't making them alone. Not that he would ever admit it, but he had come to be slightly more accepting of his companion's ideas. He was used to being challenged; he could handle it. But what Wonder Woman had said about Robin stung in a way Batman didn't understand. It definitely hadn't been his idea to place the young boy into the line of fire, but it's not like he had much choice. Why was Wonder Woman so insistent about questioning him about it?

"Batman."

Speak of the devil.

He considered ignoring her. He was near the zeta tubes; he just had to pretend he hadn't heard her. Not that she would believe him. Bats were known for their sharp ears, after all.

With an inward sigh, he turned to face the Amazon, his face as unreadable as always. "Wonder Woman."

Wonder Woman stopped a few feet in front of him, placing her hands on her hips. "No need to sound so hostile. I just want to ask you a question, then you can leave." She gave him a sharp look. "And I expect an answer."

Batman grunted noncommittally. He'd give her an answer; just maybe not the one she wanted to hear.

Wonder Woman took this as a sign to continue. "What did you mean back there?"

Batman's eyes narrowed behind his cowl. "Mean by what?"

"About Robin. What did you mean by 'so that he wouldn't'?"

"I meant just what I said," he replied shortly, turning around and sweeping toward the zeta chamber.

He heard the click clack of heels as Wonder Woman followed. He ignored her as he pulled up a holographic screen, inputting the coordinates to Gotham City into the computer.

"Care to elaborate?" Wonder Woman said.

Batman inwardly sighed. He knew she wasn't going to let this drop. Even if he left now, she would be sure to bring it up at some other time, and then, the environment might not be so private. And, though he would never admit it, he was almost tempted to tell the woman. He had never spoken to anyone but Alfred about how he'd felt after his parent's death; what drove him to put everything down for the sake of the mission. "Revenge," he said, not turning away from the screen.

He could almost feel the eyebrow raised at his back.

"Excuse me?"

"When my parents were...murdered...I grew up angry and vengeful. I hated the world for taking my parents from me, hated the man who had pulled the trigger. I became Batman mostly to keep others from suffering as I had. The other part was more selfish: in a vain hope to bring the monster who killed them to justice." His fingers clenched into a fist. "I couldn't let Dick grow up the same way. I couldn't let such a happy child be brought to my level."

"Then why take him in?" Wonder Woman questioned. "Why make him Robin? He would have been just as well off in some other home as yours."

Batman finally turned to face her, his anger swelling within him. "You don't understand, Diana. He's a gypsy. They were going to keep him in the juvie."

Wonder Woman's eyes widened. "They wouldn't."

"They would." Batman took a deep breath through his nose. "And I didn't make him Robin. My original plan was to just let him live with me. I would take out his parents' killer, and then they could rest in peace. But—"

"Let me guess," the woman interrupted. "He found you out?"

Batman's expression softened just the slightest. "I came back from patrol one night to find him curled up in my computer chair in the Batcave. Apparently he'd watched me enter the Cave though the house entrance and decided to find out where I went."

Wonder Woman smiled. "That sounds like Robin, all right."

"Robin was his idea," Batman said. "Of course, I didn't agree—at first. Then he threatened that he'd sneak out and go solo. And somehow, I knew he wasn't kidding. He'd all ready slipped out of the house under both mine and Alfred's watch to try and track Tony Zucco—the murderer—himself." Batman snorted at the memory. "His first costume was a bright yellow cape and legging-less leotard. He was a walking street light."

"So you didn't really have much choice," Wonder Woman said, slight amusement in her voice.

Batman shrugged, flicking the switch to activate the zeta tube. "No." He strode toward the zeta tube, slight embarrassment welling up inside him at the fact that he'd basically told the warrior princess his whole life story. He growled quietly. He wouldn't let his tongue slip like that again. Given the choice, he would have picked anyone other than the Amazon to tell his greatest secrets; but at the same time, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, like he could breathe easier under his thick Kevlar vest. Which made absolutely no sense.

"Bruce?"

Batman paused just outside of the zeta tube, stiffening at the sound of his name.

"I'm sorry," Diana said.

Batman fought back his surprise. He glanced over his shoulder. "I'm not." He turned and walked into the zeta tube, feeling the familiar tingling sensation as his body began to disintegrate. "I did it to protect him, Diana. Remember that."

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**So what did you think? Was Batman OOC? Did it run too quickly? Let me know in a review! Constructive criticism is accepted and appreciated.**

******Honestly, I'm not too happy with how it turned out. But the words just refused to flow, and I got tired of seeing this in my fic document... I might just rewrite this whole thing later, but for now, whatever.**

**All of my better written stuff is still refusing to come out completely. I promise I'll try and get them up ASAP!**


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